[3GScottishUser]

Now that 3 & T-Mobile have been sharing network sites for a while and the consolodaton process is established has 3's Mobile Boradband improved and what is the user experience like where you are?

I have good experience with 3 Mobile Broadband in some of my work locations and in others its utterly useless but I am sure that is due to signal issues and could be similar with other providers.

My experience of 3's Mobile broadband has been more positive than with their voice telephony which was hit and miss at best and totally unreliable most of the time I used it.

Perhaps 3 have found a niche and with packet data the reliability is now an acceptable product.

[Hands0n]

I tried it recently, I really did. Despite my reservations and better judgement!! And spectacularly it was a complete #fail. Read all about it here --> https://talk3g.co.uk/showthread.php?t=6966

The proposition was compelling, £15 30-day contract for 5GB per month mobile broadband allowance. On the basis that PAYG MBB from 3 worked for my lad, not too far away, I was prepared to give it a solid go.

I think that 3's network share with T-Mobile has the potential to make a big difference. But, and this runs throughout the 3 experience, it is when things go wrong that the real problems begin. It starts with that initial call to 3's CS and goes downhill from there.

My vote is most closely aligned with "Its rubbish.... can't get much data at all. I'll be dumping it as soon as I can" - it was, and I did.

I cannot in any way recommend 3's mobile broadband. Save yourself the grief and get a mobile BB SIM from any of the other four MNOs that take your fancy.

[miffed]

At this moment in time , it is working amazingly well for me ! (something that really has taken me by surprise )

[Ben]

Its not great... Its slow and I can't use all the data I have paid for
I use it as a backup, if I can't get a good connection on Vodafone I try Three and, sometimes, it's usable but never fast.

[3GScottishUser]

I think the 3/T-Mobile network consolodation is now bearing some fruit. The data coverage and usability of the 3 dongle is now much better than it was a year ago.

I don't use mobile broadband a lot, only as a fallback as I have pretty fast broadband at work and its only when that fails that I use my dongle. That said I have used it recently and have noticed an improvmentm hense the post and the poll.

Since moving back to Vodafone I have been using the Internet on my handset quite regularly and its amazing how one becomes accustomed to having the Internet anywhere, anytime. I used it the other day to google for a phone number when I was stationary on the M8 motorway (not unusual) and was able to call ahead and let them know I would be late.

Its interesting that the Uk seems to have gone down the 'paid for' 3G mobile Internet route for mobile access but in other countries Wi-Fi is the primary way mobile Internet is carried. In a lot of ways the latter is a better option because of free access and the speed available.

For now I am quite happy with 3 on my £5 a month contract for 1GB allowance, it should have increased back to £10 after I terminated my mobile contract but as yet there has been no change and thats good for them because if the attempt to increase the cost they will have it terminated instantly. 3 are not daft, they seem to know when to leave well alone.

[miffed]

Well ..... the last two evenings have seen a return to form for 3MBB , with some slow loading (by slow I mean virtually a standstill , some pages taking 2-3 minutes to load) and some quirky behaviour - for example a forums homepage will load up , the individual forums will load , but it simply won't view individual topics ...... or on another forum clicking on the "login" page simply sends me back to the homepage , ...stuff like that
...I have also found a "solution" , or workaround really - not realy usable in everyones circumstances , but may work for some

Seem to revolve around DNS servers (again) , as some of us found out previously , changing the DNS servers to something better can help , BUT Three switch them back ,or "dictate" their DNS servers to you - meaning changing them is a bit of a problem . However , my current set up allows me to change them adequately (I have changed them to 4.2.2.1 & 4.2.2.2 )
I have my dongle plugged into my iMac , and then created and an adhoc network to my MBA - Now I haven;t even tried changing the DNS servers on the iMac , Noticed that when I changed them on the MBA , they STAYED changed - and when I did it , it was like flicking a switch , 3 Broadband "works" again !
Of course , it is possible that the "DNS Correcting" stuff was coming from the E220 , and by using the unlocked E160 from o2 (but with the 3 SIM ) I can avoid them ? which would suggest using 3MBB via a non 3 modem may be the way to go ? - Must try changing the DNS on the iMac to see if there is any milage in this .

[Hands0n]

3's DNS servers are truly awful in terms of reliability. I don't know why, it really is not rocket science to build, install and maintain a DNS server cluster. Any trained monkey should be capable, so that should be right up 3's street :D

That said, even Vodafone get the dreaded DNS horribly wrong at times - but at least they do not insist on the customer using their own DNS. I'm guessing that 3's insistence relates to their old "walled garden" that they used to run in that idiot Bob Fuller's days. Sadly, no doubt a legacy of his that will persist until 3's ultimate demise.

Mobile broadband is going absolutely nowhere until and unless the mobile network operators get their act together and make the basic underpinning Internet technology work flawlessly and reliably. To date, same on them all, but we can reserve the greatest critique for 3 and Vodafone - although O2, of late, are striving to head the incompetence challenge.